John Denver Sanctuary

"I am a song, I live to be sung, I sing with all my heart!" Pay your respects to the man who penned "Rocky Mountain High" and spent a lot of time in Colorado. The John Denver Sanctuary is a quiet cluster of carved boulders and monuments, located along the Roaring Fork River, near the Aspen Art Museum. Many of the singer's famous lyrics are carved into the stone, which you can read as you listen to the creak rush by. Fans gather at the sanctuary every year on October 12, the anniversary of Denver's death (Denver died in 1997, in a plane crash off the coast of California).

John Denver was a huge part of the Aspen community and his lasting impact can be found at the John Denver Sanctuary that is just off the Rio Grande Trail. The quickest way to get there is via Rio Grande Park just past Theater Aspen’s Tent. Granite rocks formed the seat of an amphitheater facing the Rio Grande River flowing in serenity. Large granite rocks scattered through the sanctuary have the lyrics to his songs carved into them. It is a peaceful place to collect your thoughts and pay homage to this great American songwriter.